


Soul Circus

by baconflavoredcola



Category: Eddsworld, Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, circus AU, circus au??????????/, its gonna startr being gay soon guys i swear, legit no one asked for this?, man im making this up as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-09-11 15:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8991295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baconflavoredcola/pseuds/baconflavoredcola
Summary: Four boys all decide to run away to circus. They don't have any plan besides that. After some bumps on the road, they become a part of the circus. Eventually, they find out the dark secret behind this circus.  And they can not keep their mouths shut.





	1. Expect the Unexpected

The four boys were the best of friends. They had all known each other for many years and had collectively decided to up and leave for the circus. 

Of course, they had it well thought out. They had their reasons and knew how to explain to the ringmaster when the arrived. 

Edd decided he would do the talking. He was the only one really capable. Tord’s accent often caused confusion, Tom would say something rude, and Matt was just an airhead. So they all packed their bags and in the dead of night, snuck from their homes. 

They met at a park near their houses. They all got their directions and counted their resources before heading to the directions their phones had given them to the nearest circus. 

Each had their own way of travel. Matt had Rollerblades, Tord rode his bike, Tom skateboarded, and Edd used his skates. They all knew this would be long, and possibly dangerous. But Tom brought a knife and he's not afraid to mug someone if they run out of cash. 

Eventually, they found a highway. 

“Maybe we could hitch a ride?” Tord suggested.  
“Who could carry four kids and their bike?” Tom responded bitterly. Why can't Tord just use a normal form of transportation that wasn't giant? And Tord just stuck his studded tongue at the jerk.  
“Just stick your thumb up and wait, you clusterfuck of stupidity,” Tord growled. Eventually, someone stopped in front of them.

The car was a truck, and the car seemed empty. When the driver rolled down the window, it was a teenager, obviously about 19 or so. He smiled widely at them. 

“Get in, toss your stuff in the trunk.” He said in a thick southern accent. Edd was the first in, and he sat in the front. Tom and Tord got the window seats and Matt sat in the center. 

The car was silent for a while, and Edd was taking mental notes of things around their car and glancing at the boy driving them. It was dark, but you could tell he was tan with each light they passed, Edd noticed more and more. He was wearing a green and yellow plaid shirt. He had freckles and dirty blonde hair. And he was buff. He could obviously take all of Edds friends at once, so Edd was trying to think of weak spots of what they could do if this person attacked them.

“So, where you boys headin’?” He asked with a smile.

“We’re runni-” Matt began before Tom cut him off. This guy could turn them in and get them all back home! 

“We're going to Riverside.” Tom said flatly. “That's where we live, but we went to our friend's house in Mallie Cove.” He continued, and Edd butted in.

“None of our parents could pick us up, so we tried to get home ourselves. But then we got to the highway, and we decided we should hitch a ride. Oh, that reminds me, thank you! Ah, sorry, we forgot to thank you!” Edd gushed with a smile. 

“Awe, don't worry, boys! It’s all fine here. I’ll take you boys wherever you gotta go.” He said kindly, and Edd smiled gratefully. They once again sat in silence, besides Edds soft humming he didn't even know everyone could here. 

Eventually, the driver pulled into what seemed to be an alley. Edd was confused, but when he took his hands off the wheel he assumed it was their stop, so he reached for the door. And that's when he heard Matt scream and his eyes went wide. He looked back and he had a knife. 

“Gimme all the stuff ya got, and yall get out without a knife in yer throat…” The man hissed out, voice scratchy and hoarse. Edds heartbeat increased and he began to sweat. His hand was still on the door, and he hesitated. He could take this risk and possibly get himself or someone else killed, or give all their things to a stranger. He decided, after almost no thought, the former. 

In a flash, he was out of the car. He opened the back door and helped his friends out. Because none of them had their seatbelts on, it was quick. After he helped Tord out they all started to run as fast as their little teenage legs could go, wherever there were people. 

As they ran, Edd tripped over a rock and winced in pain, but instantly started scrambling to get up, knowing the man was right on their tail. He was right. Before he could stand, someone stomped on his ankle. Tears started to build up in Edd's eyes and he noticed his friends running back towards them like a demon. 

The man cut a part of Edds' leg, and Edd screamed. Tord ran up to them and went to punch the Man, who easily blocked and swung his knife, cutting all the way from this cheek to his forehead, through his eye. Tord reached up to hold that side of his face, and the man raised his knife to stab again, but Tom had run behind him. He gave a surprise kick to his back, and the man fell onto Edd. Matt swooped in and kicked the man, who threw his knife in a desperate attempt to hit someone. The knife whizzed by Matt, scratching his side slightly. Tom grabbed Edd and started running, while Matt lead Tord to follow them.


	2. Forests and Slushies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They all have to sleep in a forest and no one is happy. They run into some not so friendly people they know and are forced to avoid them. also tord acts gay lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made it gay. you can thank me later.

They had escaped the crazed man, and now sat in a forest to catch their breath. 

Edd couldn't stand on his left leg, and Tord couldn't see out of his left eye. There was blood everywhere. Edd had taken out a medical kit and patched up everyone's cuts, wrapping Tords' eye a bit like an eyepatch and, using a book he brought, he steadied his leg. He pressed the book next to his slightly bleeding leg and tied it up, of course after wrapping up the cut. 

Tom took his phone out to check things.

“It's 8 PM, and the circus is two miles away. “ Tom groaned. Everyone was tired, no one wanted to deal with this. 

“Maybe we can just… Sleep here tonight? Maybe we can sleep in shifts in case that guy comes back…” Edd offered, shivering slightly from both the cold air around them and the thought of the man coming back. Tord put his hand on Edds' shoulder to reassure him he was safe.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Tord smiled. Edd smiled back at Tord before looking back at all his friends.

“Who wants first shift?” Edd asked, and after no one bit, he sighed and said he could do it.

Edd reached into has bag and took out a blanket. He moved his bag under his hurt foot because it felt better than leaving it on the cold dirt. 

“How long should each shift be? An hour?” Edd asked, opening his phone to set an alarm. Tom shrugged.

“Maybe like, 30, 35 minutes?” He offered, and Edd typed it in, nodding. 

“Alright, well, you guys can go to bed.” Edd smiled. He waited until everyone was ready to actually start the alarm. He yawned, and began scrolling his phone. He looked up at times, just in case anyone was around. 

Into the night, he became an anxious mess. The thought of someone finding them was driving him mad! He was looking behind the tree he was leaning against when his alarm went off, and he jumped up, wincing from moving his foot. 

Matt was the first who woke up from the alarm, but Tord and Tom were quickly up. Everyone saw him still in slight pain. 

“Are you alright, Edd?” Tord asked. Edd nodded, brushing it off. 

“Yeah, of course, just a little pain. No biggie.” He shrugged. “Anyway, who wants to go next?” He asked, and Matt was already laying back down to go to sleep. Tom and Tord met eyes and silently decided on rock, paper, scissors to settle this. 

Tord pulled out scissors, and Tom pulled rock. Tom smirked and laid back down. Tord snarled and crossed his arms, leaning against the tree he had slept against. 

Edd was still partially upright, still anxious. He frowned and looked over at Tord. 

“Psst… Psst, Tord.” He whispered, and Tord looked down at him. 

“Yeah?” Tord responded, tilting his head to the side a bit. 

“I, uh, I'm scared…” Edd muttered softly, hoping Tord heard him so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. 

He saw Tords eyes widen a bit, before softening. Tord moved closer to him and leaned on the tree, moving his hand to pet Edds' hair, Edd now blushing softly.

“You have nothing to be scared of, Edd. I'm here to protect you.” Tord said, smiling. Edd smiled gratefully and leaned his head onto Tords shoulder, shutting his eyes. 

“Thanks, Tord.” Edd said softly. 

Now it was Tords turn to blush, smiling softly down at Edd. If you got his honesty, Tord would tell you he loved Edd. What's not to love? Sadly, however, Tord wasn’t the best at expressing his feelings in positives ways all the time. Why was he so mean to Tom? Well, Tom was one of Edds closest friends, and he was an asshole. He was smart enough to find a way to snatch Edd right from under him! Matt, he wasn't a big concern of his. While he was rather touchy-feely with Edd, Tord knew Edd saw Matt like a brother. That's one perk of being your crushes best friend, they tell you stuff to ease your jealousy. Most of the time, at least. He was never told anything to hinder his love and self-confidence he would eventually get Edd. He’s never been concerned. Plus, he’s pretty sure Edd is gay. Ya know gaydar? Yep, that's a lovely thing Tord thanks every day. 

While Tord was daydreaming about Edd, he didn’t notice the time, and was shocked when the alarm went off. Tom was the first up, rubbing his eyes before seeing Edd leaning on Tord and sighing; Tord was always putting the moves on Edd in subtle ways like that and Edd can't tell when people are flirting. He couldn’t help but smile a little when Edd woke up and leaned away from Tord a bit. Matt sat up and groaned, rubbing his eyes. 

The night continued on. Tom ended up staying up next, albeit it all just bitter glaring at Tord since he had not moved back to his own tree. Matt stayed up after, keeping himself up looking at his reflection and talking to himself. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually, the sun was rising, so they started packing up to start walking again. Edd passed out granola bars he had packed, and Tord offered to carry Edd. Before Tom could mention Tords eye and how unfit he was to carry someone, Edd agreed. So Tom just shut up and put his hands in his pockets. Tom led the way, google maps pulled up on his phone. As the left the woods, they saw a group across the road. 

Them. It was the kids Edd and his crew hated the most, they most often just called them The Neighbors. They had never been on good terms, they were basically complete opposites! But their situations seemed to be almost parallel. 

Eduardo was being held up by Mark, and Jon was in front of the group. The only difference was they didn't have a fourth person. That obviously means Edds group was better. Strength in numbers and it's even. 

All each group did was glare at each other and walk on opposite sides of the road, each group praying the other would turn in a direction they weren't going. But that never happened. They did their best to ignore each other. 

After walking for about half a mile, they passed a seven eleven. 

“Hey, do you guys think we should stop?” Edd asked. The whole group agreed, and they turned back.

Eduardo and his group didn’t even notice them turn back. They were dedicated to the circus and weren’t stopping for anything.

Unlike Edd’s group. They weren’t dedicated. They just wanted to run away, there was no real reason it was the circus specifically. 

As soon as Edd and the boys were in the seven eleven, Matt was running to the bathroom and Tom was walking to get a slushie. Tord followed Tom, and when they passed the cashier she simply gave them a weird look. She didn’t know if she should say anything or not, and she decided she’d rather not. She just looked back down at her magazine and ignored it. 

Soon, Matt returned from the bathroom and got his own slushie. They went up to the counter and paid, leaving the cashier to wonder why she still works here. Some kid walked in just giving another kid a piggyback ride and didn’t set him down at all??? Guess that’s what the kids do these days. 

The boys are soon back on their path, now more pep in their step with their slushies. 

“How much longer until we’re at the circus, Tom?” Edd asks, smiling. Tom checks his phone, going to google maps.

“About a mile and a half.” Tom shrugs and Matt loudly slurps his slushie in slight frustration. 

“My feet hurt!” Matt complained. “Can you give me a piggyback ride, Tom?”

“What? Of course n--” Tom began, but was cut off.

“YAY!!” Cheered Matt, who jumped onto Toms back. Tom instinctively held him up and groaned. This will be a long trip.


	3. Separation Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally arrive, and its not as expected. Tord is having some second thoughts.

The journey didn't feel worth it. As they walked up to the circus tents, they could see the ringmaster. Why would he accept four dirty, tired boys into his circus? He probably wouldn't. But Tom didn't hesitate to walk into the tent, looking around to see everything. Pretty lights and acrobats practicing, elephants in the distance with people feeding them. Before they could properly ingest wow, we made it, the ringmaster was up to the group. 

The ringmaster was tall, skinny, and lean. He looked like string beans glued to a beanpole and it made Matt giggle. He wore a tall, black top hat, a white and red striped button up, white pants and black dress shoes. His hair was pushed back with gel, and he had a graceful mustache and goatee. His hair was a pale black, with the occasional white strand, and his eyes were a distracting, piercing blue. His skin was pale, nearly blue, and there were bags that were hardly noticeable under his energized eyes. To him, these boys were just lost misfits in need of help. One had bandages over his eye, and one had bandages on his leg. The other two had been kind of scraped up as well. 

“Hello, boys, what brings you four here?” He asked curiously. Edd smiled wide at him. Honestly, the piggyback ride from Tord has made him feel taller and way more confident, so he feels like he can convince the ringmaster to accept them. 

“Hello! My name’s Edd, and me and my friends are here for jobs? We ran away from home to work here, I really hope you’ll give me and my friends all a chance!” He chirped excitedly, and he held his hand out for a handshake. The boy simply looked so eager and ready, the ringmaster smiled a wide grin and shook his hand. His grip was right and his shake shook Edds whole body. Edd giggled a bit from the feeling and Tord strained to continue holding him. 

“You boys got it! I'm Ringmaster Kramer, at your service.” He took a bow, and gosh is he tall. “Anything in specific you three wanna do?” He asked curiously as his eyes landed back on the boys. 

“Clown!” Edd said excitedly. Matt shivered a bit. Clowns are creepy, Edd thinks it would be fun. 

“I wanna be one of those sword swallower guys,” Tom said, his voice as edgy and mumbled as usual. 

Matt and Tord shrugged a bit. They didn't really know what to be.

Ringmaster Kramer hummed in thought. “You,” He pointed at Tord, “Will come along with me. You,” He pointed at Matt. “Will be a fire dancer.” He said. He knew thats what Matt would be since he saw him. His hair and his eyes just reminded him of flames. The two boys nodded, Tord a bit hesitantly.

Ringmaster Kramer smiled at them. He flipped his hat off of his head and held it upside down, pulling out a whistle. It was shiny and gold. Then he played it once long, once short, once long. 

They all heard noise, honking and giggling and laughing. In a jiffy, a group of clowns, makeup and smiles ready, were next to the ringmaster. The group was mismatched, from tall scrawny boys to large, chubby girls. But at the front was clearly the leader. His hair was green, his makeup was bright and perfect, he was tubby and he reminded Edd of Santa. He reminded Matt of Satan.

Wordlessly, the Ringmaster pointed at Edd and the clown's smiles widened at once. The leader nudged one boy over to take Edd, as he clearly couldn't walk. The boy was a teenager as well, and he had bright red hair and his makeup was a bit smudged in places. He held his arms out for Tord to hand Edd over. Tord was a little hesitant but he handed him over. Edd looks so excited and happy. The clown smiled, honked his nose, and the clowns started to walk back over to the clown area. Edd frowned a bit as the clowns walked away and he looked back to his friends and waved. 

Matt, Tord, and Tom all waved. Then another loud noise was released from the whistle. Long long, short, long long. Matt winced, the noise was so high pitched.

Suddenly, a man stepped out from the behind the ringmaster. He had raven black hair that was tucked into a ponytail, he was pale and he was fit. His eyes were a musky grey. He wore a black leather vest over literally nothing, and black jeans, along with black dress shoes. The ringmaster pointed at Tom, and the man nodded. He gestured for Tom to follow him and he waved at his friends as he walked away.

One more whistle. Short short, long. 

A girl with kinky red hair appeared. Her hair was up and out of her face in a tight ponytail and clearly dyed to be its vibrant color. She had an orange leotard and a lack of shoes. Her eyes were bright blue, and she had a shiny, intense smile. Her face had slight burns, and she had cuts and bruises on her legs and arms. “You! Come with!” She pointed at the ginger, Her accent was thick, it sounded African. Matt nervously nodded and waved at Tord as he followed the girl away. 

That left Tord. The ringmaster smiled cheekily, and he gestured for Tord to follow him. Tord stuffed his hand in his hoodie pocket, and Ringmaster Kramer wrapped an arm around Tords shoulder. “What's your name, Kiddo?” He asked. 

“Tord…” He answered, seeming uncomfortable. That's because he is. 

“Tord. You know what you will be doing?” The ringmaster questioned. Clearly, he was leading him somewhere. After a head shake of no from Tord, The Ringmaster parted a curtain. He led Tord to a clear area and stood directly in front of him. Before Tord could protest, the man was pulling off his bloodied bandage. He shut his eyes tightly, but that was so painful he opened his eyes and fluttered his eyelashes as he tried to get used to his eye not being covered, covering it with his hand. The ringmaster tossed away the bandages and looked back. He moved Tords hand and looked at his eye. The color had faded slightly, giving his eyes a silver look. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, veins clear along with the edges. The man looked at him close and smiled. 

“Freak show.” He said, and Tords face contorted to one of offense. 

“Excuse me?”

“You’re going to work with the freaks. You will be devil boy. It suits you. Now come along.” He said, and Tord followed the man. He couldn't see through his left eye, but he's not going to mention that. The Ringmaster led him to an area with stages for each attraction. He led Tord to an empty stage and pulled the curtain back. A little living area was there. A bed, a dresser, mirror, and a small bookcase. 

“This, Devil Boy, is where our old four legged lady used to stay. Kennedy was a lovely lady…” Ringmaster Kramer said as he stepped into the space. 

“Oh… Did she die?” Tord asked. Kramer looked appalled. 

“Gracious, no!” He said. “She went to get her degree.” He finished. 

Tord held back a snicker, and Kramer said to make himself comfortable, and he left. Tord sat on the bed and shifted, laying back. He shut his eyes softly and sighed. He's a freak now. He assumed he should have expected this. He had set his hopes too high when he let himself think of being a ringmaster in training. Maybe he could wear a cool eye patch. But no. Now he's Devil Boy. He hopes his friends are having a better time in their new areas.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you can imagine, each boy is having a very different experience. Edd is being shown where he'll sleep and apply his clown makeup, and he's picking out his clown outfit. The clown boy that carried him is his roommate, and he will learn to juggle and many other things before he's allowed to publicly perform. He's excited to learn the ropes, the jokes, and everything in between. 

He learned his roommate is named Scooter. But he has a unicycle, which Edd thinks is funny in itself. He and Scooter talked forever about clowning, shared jokes and gags and goofs, and they got each other rolling on the ground laughing, clown honking during it all. Edd had found his new clown name during the conversation, which is a big clown step. 

"Giggles," Scooter began, "You're so silly!" 

"Like you're any more serious than me, Scoots!" Edd giggled happily. There's a reason he's called Giggles. He giggles, and it's so infectious, you can't help but giggle with!

While Edd seems to be getting along nicely, Matts having a harder time. The girl, while short, is 19. She works with her father, Alton, and she's named Jumana. She's loud and eccentric, energetic and bouncy. Her dad is calm, collected, and intimidating. They showed Matt to where he can sleep for the time being and said they would prepare a leotard for him to wear. Matt's given time to rest, and he takes that time to take in his surroundings and slowly fall asleep. Snz

Toms experience is less exciting and more introductory. "I am Guskov." The man had said as they walked to the area that he stayed. "You will stay with me and my wife. She is named Ashely." He continued. Tom noted his Russian accent. Guskov parted a curtain to show their living area. There was a small TV, a bed, a dresser with a mirror attached, a hamper, and there were posters on the wall. A woman, most likely Ashley, sat on the bed. She had bright blonde hair and amber eyes, and she looked like a movie star. She smiled wide at Tom and squealed. 

"Oh, who is this? He's ADORABLE!" She chirped as she stood, her white dress contorting to the movement. She was up to Tom, pinching his cheeks and cooing. Tom was frozen in shock before he moved her hands off of his face. 

"I'm Tom," He said. "I'm gonna be a sword swallower and like. Knife throwing n stuff." He said, putting his hands in his pockets. She gasped. 

"MARvelous!" She squealed again, and Tom can't believe she's so loud. Guskov put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down and she smiled wide. 

"We can begin training you tomorrow," Guskov said, and Ashley nodded. "It's late, would you like some rest?" Ashely asked Tom, who nodded a bit. He was ready to take a place on the ground to sleep, but Ashely tugged him to the bed. Before Tom could speak, he was sandwiched between Guskov and Ashely. Tom is uncomfortable but he's warm. He shut his eyes and drifted off. He feels like a five-year-old being snuggled by his mom again. It's weird.

Everyone hopes tomorrow will be even better than today.

**Author's Note:**

> hi sorry this is short lol


End file.
